The 2012 NFL Draft class was a good one for the Cincinnati Bengals as they got contributions from nearly every player elected that year. Ironically the Bengals’ first pick and 17th-overall selection of that draft didn’t give them much of anything last year as cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick was relegated to limited snaps on special teams and defense after a knee injury cost him much of his rookie season.

Many fans and even media have already written him off as far as being a significant contributor in a defensive backfield that features Leon Hall Terence Newman and Adam Jones. Don’t count out Kirkpatrick just yet as he’s been cleared to fully practice today when training camp officially opens and he’s using this talk of him being irrelevant as motivation to make an impact this year.